7teen: Tonight is the Night
by Poppin Pear
Summary: Ep. 7: Sydni decides to throw a party in celebration of recent things, and the gang helps her to plan it. The party itself, however, isn't going to be smooth sailing, and certainly not peaceful! No party is complete without a touch of drama and blasting music. Meanwhile, being strapped for cash, Jonesy charges admission to the party behind Sydni's back.
1. Intro

7teen: Tonight is the Night

_A/N: Hey guys. I wanted to add a quick disclaimer: I do **not** own 6teen, nor do I own the songs or lyrics I post/mention, as they are the intellectual property of the people who created the song, of course. I'm just a music-obsessed teen. lol, anyways, on to the story._

**Monday – The Lemon – 12:22 p.m.**

Narrator's POV

A week had passed and all has been relatively normal for the gang and in the mall, period. Perhaps a bit _too_ normal for them, one might say, but of course, it never stays that way for long with them.

Anyhow, at the gang's usual table in the food court, all was ordinary. Wyatt was strumming his guitar, Jude was zoned out, Jen and Caitlin were reading a magazine together, and Jonesy and Nikki were flirting and kissing each other. Sydni on the other hand, who'd usually be listening to music, was caught up in deep thought.

She sat there thinking about events that took course so far. From when she moved to the area, to the party at Geoff's home where she met the gang, to becoming their seventh friend, to getting a job at the Khaki Barn, and starting a blog that became an instant sensation.

Then, it occurred to her – "I've got it!" she thought out loud. Everyone broke from what they were previously doing. Wyatt suddenly stopped strumming, Caitlin and Jen looked up from their fashion magazine, Jude snapped out of his reverie, and Jonesy and Nikki broke from their kiss.

They all chimed, _"What?"_ Sydni told them about her deep thought session. "…I was thinking about how things have been going right for me, so I want to celebrate it by throwing a sick party at my house on Saturday night!"

The gang cheered and was excited to hear this, but Jen mentioned one important thing. "How are you going to convince your parents to let you have the party?" she asked, which almost burst Sydni's bubble, until she realized something.

"Trust me; they'll let me have it. I'm like a complete angel in their eyes, and they usually let me do whatever I want as long as I don't do anything stupid. I'll just ask my mom and dad if they can go out on Saturday while we have the party," Sydni explained.

"Looks like Saturday night we're having a party, dudes!" Jude enthusiastically shouted. The seven all said in unison, _"To Saturday night!"_


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Planning is Essential

**The Lemon – 12:33 p.m.**

Narrator's POV

"Okay, so since I'm having the party, I need you to help me plan it," Sydni said. Jen asked, "Need me to do anything?" She nodded her head and responded, "Actually, Jen, I want you to be my assistant planner for the party." The redhead perked up and said, "Really? Thanks!"

"So, what do you want the rest of us to do?" Jude inquired, not wanting to be left out of the party prep. Sydni thought about it for a moment and said, "Today, we should try and get the word out. Jonesy, I want you to text your friends to come on Saturday night. Jude, I want you to spread the word when you skate through the mall."

"Sweet!" Jonesy cheered as he whipped out as his cellphone and started to text people on his contact list. "Will do," Jude assured as he grabbed his skateboard, dropped it to the ground, and skated off. "What about me?" Wyatt asked Sydni.

"Hmm, I can't think of anything for you to do right now, Wyatt. Sorry," she shrugged. He told her it was alright and headed off to work.

"Now as for the four of us," she was referring to her and the other girls, "I have something fun we can do." She grabbed her red messenger bag and pulled out her laptop. The three girls were wondering what she had in mind, and more importantly what she was doing.

They gathered around Sydni and were looking at what she was attempting to do. Apparently, she wanted them to help her design an eye-catching flyer to pass out. "I want the three of you to help me create a really cool flyer to promote the party, _if _you're up for it," she proposed. While Jonesy was still in his same seat texting his other friends, the three girls agreed to help Sydni design the handouts.

"Ooh! We should add more pink!" Caitlin giddily suggested, which earned her a scoff from Nikki. Jen put forward, "Maybe we need more stripes or paint splatters to catch people's eye." The three went back and forth about different design ideas for a few moments. Sydni facepalmed herself and said, "This might take a while."

Eventually, the three agreed on the final poster design, and Jen realized she had to go back to work. "I gotta go; otherwise, Coach Halder is going to yell his head off at me," Jen got up and walked off, leading the other three to wave goodbye.

Suddenly, the three heard someone clear their throat, apparently trying to get someone's attention, and that someone was Caitlin, who had a long line at the lemonade stand waiting for her to make their drinks. "Oops," Caitlin uttered as she sprinted back inside the giant fruit.

Sydni and Nikki were the only two left now. "So, since Jen and Caitlin are working, you wanna go and help me make copies of the flyer?" Sydni questioned. "Anything beats going back to the Crappy Barn," the purple-haired girl shrugged.

The two headed off to _Copy Bats_ to make copies of the flyer the girls had designed. While the design on Sydni's flash drive was being printed, the two decided to make some small talk. "So, I heard Jonesy once worked here – along with hundreds of other places around the mall," sniggered Sydni. Nikki snorted and laughed while saying, "Yeah, he's not so good at keeping a job for more than a day." She rolled her eyes playfully at the thought of her boyfriend's inability to maintain a single job.

As time went on, they carried a full conversation during the duration when the flyers were printing. There were about fifty flyers printed in high quality. They were looking sleek and certainly appealing to the eye, the way they were supposed to be. Sure, it was just a tad of cash out of Sydni's pocket, but it would certainly be worth it.

Conveniently when Nikki and Sydni exited the shop, Jude was rolling by. "Jude!" both called out to him. He turned his head around and asked, "Huh?" until he crashed into a trash bin and flipped into it. The girls cringed at his spill and walked over to him. Jude managed to get himself out of the garbage can and said, "Don't worry. I'm fine."

"That's good," Sydni smiled before continuing. "Anyways, do you think you can help Nikki and I pass these out?" He nodded and said, "Sure. I've got nothing else to do anyways." "Perfect!"

She handed him a fraction of the flyers in her hand. Once Sydni did that, he was off to go complete his task. "I guess we should start passing these out too," Nikki looked at her. "True. Let's get to it!" Sydni handed Nikki her share of flyers to pass out as they split in different directions.

Good for him and Sydni's social status as well, Jude was having luck spreading the word about the Saturday night bash. _"Cool, I'll be there," "I'm totally coming," _and, _"Sounds awesome," _were a majority of the responses he received, which were good enough for him. One or two loners might have crumpled up and thrown away the flyer that they were given, but other than that, it was a breeze.

Eventually, Sydni and Nikki had to stop because Chrissy ordered them to come back to the Khaki Barn when their breaks were over. Luckily for them, they only had one handout left that wasn't given to someone.

* * *

A little while later when everyone had finished up their shifts for the rest of the evening, Jude closed the ice rink so that he could have some down time with his friends. That would give them time to talk and mess around with one another.

The seven were skating together in one accord. Then the bash was brought up again. "So Sydni," Caitlin spoke, "Are we going to do more party planning today?" Sydni halted her skating to talk to her. "Nah, we deserve to chill for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, I think we should all focus on the other important things for it. As for right now, let's just relax," she said with a content and mellow look on her face.

"_Relaxing_ is my middle name," Jude boasted as he slowed his pace. "I thought you didn't have a middle name," Jen reminded and nudged him playfully. He rubbed the spot where she bumped him and said, "Figure of speech, bra."

**Tuesday – The Game Store – 12:35 p.m.**

The girls spent some of their time at the game store with Jude, going over what's next to plan. "Okay, I need you girls – and you too Jude – to help me decide what to play at my party. I have so much music, but I have no idea _what_ to choose," Sydni explained. "You should totally play those hot Top 40 songs that are always on the radio," Caitlin suggested. "That could work, and you could also have people request songs as well, just to make things easier," Jen agreed and chimed in. "True. Thanks for the suggestions," Sydni said. She noticed Nikki was awfully silent, however.

"You haven't really said anything, Nikki. Are you alright?" The girl with the piercings nodded, "You probably wouldn't like my ideas, music-wise." Sydni disagreed, however. "Not all ideas are bad ideas, that is, until said out loud."

"I think you should play a couple rock tunes at the party, you know, to get people going. Not everyone likes what's on mainstream stations," Nikki shrugged. "Hmm, duly noted," Sydni smirked as she wrote down their suggestions.

Within a few moments, Jonesy walked in. He strolled over to where the girls and Jude were hanging out at, kissing Nikki's cheek and then stood next to her. "You're here early," Nikki noticed, "Fired _again_?" He simply nodded. "So what are you doing now?" asked Jonesy.

Sydni told him about their music selections for Saturday night. Jonesy just said, "Oh." Once she was done writing down some ideas on what to play that night, Caitlin reminded them that they needed to do the shopping for the favors and decorations.

Jonesy heard them talking about it and followed up with some good information. "Just letting you guys know, when you go to the party store to get the decorations and stuff, you can use my former-employee discount in my name to save some extra coin."

This fact made her happy, as Sydni had an opportunity to save some cash and get the party favors all at once! "Thanks, Jonesy!"

Jen then exclaimed, "Party store: here we come!" and the four girls were off to go do some party shopping.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Work

Narrator's POV

While the girls walked to their destination, Caitlin could hardly contain her thoughts any longer. "I can't wait until the party on Saturday! Oh, I'm just so excited! If there's anything I love, it's parties… plus boys and shopping!" she exclaimed with glee.

"Calm down, Cheerleader Barbie. I'm happy about it too, but there's no need to be _that_ peppy," Nikki grumbled, as she crossed her arms like she always does when she's discontent. Caitlin looked at her in a more sad way. Jen merely just stood there and watched, without saying a word. "Let's do without the PMS and brashness. I think we should be able to talk with no bitterness and tension. We're friends here, remember?" Sydni attempted to mediate.

Caitlin and Nikki, though best friends (and polar opposites), had their fair share of remarks about one another; luckily when they're reminded of their friendship, they seem to build bridges together, rather than burn them. Nikki thought for a moment and then said, "You're right. I think sometimes I might be a _bit _too hard on you, Caitlin. I'm sorry – and this is the only time you're hearing something like this from me." _"Aw, Nikki, I forgive you!"_ Caitlin was extra peppy again, and even hugged her. Nikki smiled halfway and told her, "Okay, I didn't say you could hug me," before laughing a bit.

Before they knew it, the four girls were at the party store, looking for some fabulous decorations for Sydni's backyard, where the party would be held. They walked through the aisles, searching for nothing in particular, but anything that would make the yard look like something way different – something fun and perfect to hang at.

Jen looked around and finally saw something that caught her eye. "Hey girls!" she called, "I found something cool that we can use." She pointed to a string of round, multicolored paper lanterns that light up. Sydni picked one string up and inspected it thoroughly. "These would be cool to string across the fence in my backyard. They'd look so good, especially at night when everyone's dancing," pictured Sydni.

"We should totally buy a couple of these," Caitlin said. The other three agreed on it. Sydni grabbed at least six sets and managed to shove them in one of the shopping baskets in her hand. Nikki found some vibrant streamers to hang on the fence along with the lanterns.

Eventually, the girls chose all the items they wanted for the Saturday night bash, and purchased them. Among those mentioned things were also a couple tropical print tablecloths for the tables where the snacks would be, a few strobe lights, and even a small confetti cannon for a bang at the end of the party! Luckily, all of these miscellaneous things did not add up to much, thanks to Jonesy's _former_-employee discount, which thankfully was still valid.

**Saturday – Sydni's Backyard – Noon**

It was midday, and Sydni was setting up for her party, which was to be held that evening. She didn't get around to decorating yet. In fact, she was more preoccupied with getting the food together than actually organizing her backyard, which she planned to do with the gang – _if _they show up on time. She knew they'd come through for her regardless, as this has been scheduled since Monday afternoon.

In her kitchen, she had bags of chips, packs of different sodas, a small platter filled with finger sandwiches, and even some cupcakes that she baked herself.

Once she was able to tear herself away from the kitchen, she walked through her living room to the screen door that led to the yard. As soon as Sydni set foot in the area, she looked and thought, _'Man, I have a lot of work to do here.'_

The six-foot, wooden privacy fence was plain, with no lanterns strung across, and the table she was going to set the food and drinks on was folded against it. The large concrete patio had nothing on it, because her parents never got around to furnishing the backyard. There literally was just a white concrete patio, the table lying against the fence, some neat and freshly-cut grass that her father mowed early that morning, and on the far end of the yard was a shed, where her dad kept his lawnmower, among other things she never bothered to look through. The bags of things she, Jen, Nikki, and Caitlin got from the party store were in her hands. It hit her that she'd basically have to start from scratch.

"I just hope I don't have to do this by myself," Sydni sighed. Almost instantly, there were several knocks on the side gate. She rushed to it, knowing who might be behind that said gate. The locks clicked as she unlocked them, and behind it was the gang.

"Yay, you guys are finally here! I need so much help and you showed up in the knick of time," Sydni managed to say as she led them into her backyard. "Whoa, we have a lot of work to do," Jen slightly gasped when she saw the state of the area. "My words exactly," Sydni nodded. "Well, we should get started then," added Wyatt.

Jen started giving orders already. "…Alright, we girls are going to set up the lanterns and other decorations while you guys do the heavy lifting." The boys followed her orders and walked over to set up the collapsible table that was against the fence.

Meanwhile, Caitlin was stringing some lime green, light blue, hot pink, and bright yellow streamers along the perimeter of the fence whilst Jen, Nikki, and Sydni strung the lantern lights. Once they were finished doing that task, they gasped in the final outcome of the fence. The once-plain wooden fence was now a focal feature. There were streamers across all sides of it that hung like banners, and on top were some multicolored lanterns that lit up, which would be useful since the party would be until 11 o'clock at night.

"That actuallylooks pretty cool," Nikki admitted. "I think it's _trés chic_," Caitlin bubbly giggled. "They look exactly the way I pictured them to be," Sydni was pleased. Jen simply crossed _Streamers and Lanterns _off her checklist as she said, "Streamers and lanterns, _check_!"

As the girls finished the fence, they saw that the boys set up one of the tables for the snacks to be set on. "Cool, now I need you to go in my dad's shed and get the round table and some chairs so my party guests can have somewhere to sit," Sydni told the boys, since after all, it was their job to do the heavy lifting and such.

"Aw," Jonesy groaned, thinking that it was over. Wyatt, Jude, and Jonesy walked over to the storage shed, and after a few moments, they came out with a round table, which they managed to set down on the grass near the patio, where everyone would be dancing. Afterwards, the guys went back to place the cushioned chairs around the circular table.

"Are we done yet?" Jude panted. "Yes, Jude. You guys can stop whining about your heavy lifting, because everything from here on out is easy stuff," Sydni smiled. The guys fell on the ground after hearing those words after all the carrying they did. Jen, Caitlin, Sydni, and Nikki all laughed at them for a moment before continuing their work.

"Caitlin, I need you to align the strobe lights along the patio; Jen, I need you to help me set up the food; Nikki, go to my room and get a box which should have the wireless speakers in it for the music," Sydni ordered. They all complied and carried out the duties she gave them. She went into the kitchen with Jen to go get the chips and other things she prepared previously.

Both soon came out of the kitchen. Sydni had a bowl and a bag of chips in hand, while Jen carried a tray of cupcakes. She rested the tray on the table, and Sydni placed the large purple bowl on it and poured the chips into the bowl. Jonesy walked to the table, extending his arm out trying to get a cupcake – until Sydni smacked his hand. He winced and she said, "No cupcakes for you, Jonesy! They're for the party. You can have one when the party _starts_," Sydni warned with her hands on her hips.

"Is this okay?" asked Caitlin, referring to how she aligned the strobe lights between the patio and the neat grass. Sydni glanced at it and liked it. "I think it looks cool. Definitely perfect for the music I chose."

Jen and Sydni went back into the kitchen to get the sodas and sandwiches. While they were doing that, Jude walked over to the chips bowl and started munching on some of the chips. "Tasty," he said through his chewing.

Nikki opened the screen door and walked outside with the wireless speakers that Sydni asked her to get out of her room and set them on the ground. Sydni and Jen followed behind her, carrying out the last of the food and setting the items on the snack table.

Sydni started to place the wireless speakers in areas where people would not be able to step on them, but instead placed them where the music would be able to be heard from every angle. Jude was in one of his curious moods and asked, "How's the music gonna play if there's no wires?"

"Simple," she answered, "They're _wi-fi_ speakers, so when I sync my iPod to them, the music will play wirelessly through the backyard and I can control what plays through it. Cool, right?" Jude nodded his head in agreement, "Can't wait to party tonight, dudes!" he exclaimed.

At around 3 o'clock, the gang was finished decorating and party-proofing the backyard. Jen went through a final check just to make sure. "…_Strobe lights,_ check! _Speakers and music,_ check! _Food_, check! _Decorations,_ check!" She crossed out the items on her checklist, "We're done!"

The seven cheered, because in less than five hours, it was time to party and let their inhibitions go for one night. "Thank you _so much_ for your help, guys. I cannot thank you enough for this!" Sydni felt very grateful. "No problem. It was fun lending a helping hand," Wyatt assured as he and the others were heading towards the gate.

"Remember to come back in something nice later! Nothing too fancy, either! See you later!" Sydni waved as they left to get ready and come at 8 o'clock that night.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Any Day

_A/N: Just as a reminder: I do **not** own these songs or the 6teen/Total Drama characters. But I **do **strongly suggest looking up these songs featured while you read, as I love them and wanted to include them._

**Sydni's Home – 7:50 p.m.**

Narrator's POV

"Trust me, everything will be _just fine._ When have I ever given you two a reason to doubt me?" Sydni assured her parents as she was trying to get them out of the doorway and on their date, which they _did _agree to go on so that she could have the house for the party.

"Oh, alright," her mother rolled her eyes reluctantly. "Just be sure to keep them in the backyard _only_. The emergency numbers are on the fridge and call me if you have any problems. Don't forget to–" she went on until Sydni said, "–Love you, mom! Have a great night and I promise to be safe," as she pushed her parents out the door.

Sydni smirked to herself once she was alone. Her mom was so overprotective of her sometimes, not wanting to let go of her little girl. She knew she was going to eventually have to give her more space and learn to let her do her own thing and be her own person. Despite this, she loved her mother dearly and wouldn't have it any other way. After taking a moment to think, Sydni shrugged and walked to her backyard, anticipating guests.

Meanwhile, Jonesy and Jen decided to walk to Sydni's home, since they lived in the same neighborhood. While walking to her home, they spotted Nikki's car passing by them. The two waved and decided to walk a bit faster to try and catch up with her. Eventually, they made it to their destination just as Nikki slammed the door to her car closed.

"Hey, babe," Jonesy wrapped his arm around Nikki when she stepped onto the sidewalk with Jen and him. "Hey," she responded before kissing his cheek. The three proceeded to walk through the open gate into the backyard.

"Hi guys," greeted Sydni when her friends walked in, "Sorry it's kinda dead here at the moment. No one but you has arrived yet, considering that it's only 7:55." Nikki shrugged, "No need to apologize. I'm fine with waiting."

Just then, Jude arrived with his treasured skateboard in hand. "Are you ready to** part-ay**?!" he shouted in excitement. "You know it, dude!" Jonesy gave him a high five. Caitlin heard them as she arrived and exclaimed, "I'm _definitely_ ready to have some fun!" Wyatt followed suit and said, "Finally, it's time to enjoy all of our hard work."

At around five minutes past 8'oclock, more party guests started to show up, and Sydni decided to start the music since visitors – other than the gang – arrived. She decided to get things started by warming up the crowd withsome dance-pop music.

After talking to a couple of buddies, Jonesy noticed more guests arriving, which sparked an idea in him. _"Hmm, I know the perfect way to have a great time __**and**__ make some cash: charging admission to the party! I'm such a genius,"_ he thought with a cocky look on his face. He made sure nobody was looking as he made his way to the gate.

A couple then walked in, hand-in-hand. To see if his plan would work, Jonesy said, "It's five dollars to get in – _per person_." Much to his surprise and happiness, he had just scored ten dollars off that couple alone. "Sweet!" he shouted out loud, knowing where he would be for the next thirty minutes or so.

Meanwhile, Caitlin was flirting with Benj while sitting down at one of the tables on the lawn. "…Aw, Benj, just tell me one more time," she seduced, trying to get him to say what he said before _again._ "Okay, just this time: I would pick you over Tricia _any day_," he repeated to make her happy. "Yay!" the almost-always perky blonde cheered while stroking his arm.

Jen, on the other hand, was dancing to _Pound the Alarm_ by _Nicki Minaj_ with her currentboyfriend, Nick. "I really like this song," she told him over the music. "I'm not a fan of Nicki Minaj, but I'd listen to one of her songs with you _any day_," he said to Jen, flirting with her during the second half of the sentence. She just smiled to herself and slightly blushed.

_Oh oh oh, come fill my glass u-up a little more,  
We 'bout to get up and burn this floor,  
You know we're getting hotter and hotter,  
Sexy and hotter, and shut it down…_

Sydni was enjoying the current music selection, obviously because she was throwing her hands up while spinning around to the beat, just having a plain ol' good time.

_Yo, what I gotta do to show these girls that I own 'em?  
Some call me Nicki and some call me Roman,  
Skeezer, please, I'm in Ibiza,  
Giuseppe Zannotti, my own sneaker…_

While dancing, she felt a pair of eyes on her – and not any from some of the onlookers in the crowd. They were a certain pair of green eyes in particular. Once Sydni took a glance, she met the stare of the eyes and knew they were indeed special. They were _Alejandro's _green eyes.

Luckily when her eyes met Alejandro's gaze, _he didn't bother to look away. _In fact, he smiled at her.

Feeling brave and quite lucky, Sydni decided to move towards him. "Hello there," he winked at her once she made her way towards the handsome boy. "Hi," she smiled, "I have a question for you."

"Okay, what is it?" he cocked his eyebrow. Sydni went into flirt mode and asked in a rather playful tone, "Are you stalking me, because first I met you at Albatross & Finch, then at the skating rink, and now at my party."

Alejandro caught what angle she was getting at and flirted back, "Nope. Maybe it's just fate that I'm seeing you here again."

"Oh, really?" it was Sydni's turn to raise her brow, this time teasingly.

A slower-paced house track, _Luxury _by _Azealia Banks_, began to play; it set the tone for Sydni and Alejandro to hang out and dance _together_."Wanna dance?" Alejandro offered. "Sure, why not?" she simply shrugged before he led her back on the patio to dance.

…_Hey, hi, hello, yo, what's up? My, oh me, oh boy,  
What's word could I call ya?  
Up late, I'm the one, I'm from New York,  
My, oh mi amore, who told ya you look so good…_

Though it was their first time dancing with each other, it was surprisingly not awkward at all. In fact, the two were so on tempo with one another that you would think they've danced their whole lives with each other.

"You're a great dancer," Alejandro complimented. "Thanks. You're not too bad yourself, Alejandro," Sydni returned the favor. He then said words that made her gush inside. "If I could, I'd dance with you _any day._"

…_Let me in your world,  
You know what I spy?  
__Spy you looking lonely, you know boy that's why  
__I wanna be your lady, your la la la love,  
__My L-U-X-U-R– aye, you know what I would,  
__If I could, if I could, if I could…_

She couldn't remember the last time she had this much fun with a boy. Not since she was with her now _ex-_boyfriend. Either way, Sydni felt comfortable and could be her true self around Alejandro, though they weren't even dating yet.

_...Took a trip, took a boat, took three friends,  
This bitch said it's open season,  
Miss miss been alone and she been  
Looking for some gentleman,  
I'm hoping that he been  
Feeling when I'm fed up in that roper,  
He can chill up in that villa for the whole damn weekend,  
Just coast with her, put your hands on her figure,  
Now you're gropin' her, gropin' her…_

Just when Sydni thought he couldn't get any more amazing, Alejandro put his hands on her hips as he danced with her, which made her blush involuntarily as a result.

Never in a million years did she think she would _already_ be getting this close with a guy. Actually, it was just less than a month after breaking up with her boyfriend before she moved to Ontario with her parents. Though she felt slightly ashamed at that thought, Sydni allowed her mind to ease as she danced with this special guy, knowing the peace would certainly not last that long.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Definitely for the Better

_A/N: I've realized that I've taken a pretty long break from this story. Don't worry – I **will** complete it, because I love writing and this show is easy to write for. I'm not able to come out with new chapters/stories every second of the day, because after all, life happens. _

_Remember, I don't own the songs or 6teen (of course). And here's a heads up: there's going to be a lot of dialogue and other interactions in this chapter. After all, it __**is**__ about a party. _:D

Narrator's POV

"Thirty five… forty… forty five… fifty dollars!" Jonesy just finished counting the money he earned by the gate for the past half-hour, and was grinning for two reasons: _how much he earned _and _that no one had caught him in the act_.

However, he quickly stuffed the cash into his pocket once he saw his girlfriend walking towards him. "Hey, lover boy," Nikki teased him as she flicked his nose, "What're you up to?" Feeling slightly nervous, he replied, "Nothing much," and chuckled uncomfortably. Nikki skeptically eyed her boyfriend after hearing his uneasy chuckle. Jonesy became slightly worried when he saw the way she cocked her eyebrow.

"Do you wanna hang out for a bit, babe?" he asked to lower her suspicions. Nikki nodded in response while he held her hand and escorted her over to the comfy outdoor lounge chairs the gang had set up beforehand.

As Jonesy unwound in his seat, Nikki sat down in the chair beside him. As soon as he laid his eyes on her, he went into flirt mode almost instantly. Jonesy seductively mentioned, "You know, you can sit on my lap if you wanna." Nikki chuckled, "Hmm, that's a pleasant offer, but I'll pass."

"Alright, but just to let you know: the offer doesn't expire. You're worth the wait, anyway," her boyfriend purred.

Hearing that last remark, Nikki changed her mind and her mood, too. "On second thoughts…" she grinned as she leaned in to kiss him. The kiss was innocent at first, but turned into something passionate. Jonesy took the opportunity to slither his tongue between her lips to meet hers, and soon enough there was a bit of wrestling going on.

Both breathless and halfway speechless from the passionate moment, Nikki complimented, "Mmm… Not too bad, Garcia." He playfully punched her arm and said, "You're not too bad yourself. By the way, I _totally_ won our little tongue war." Rolling her eyes, she gloated, "You wish, Jonesy. You wish," then started to kiss him again.

Meanwhile, Jen and Nick were discussing their music tastes to make some light conversation together. So far, she liked what she was hearing.

"…I'm more of a mainstream girl, but I really don't have a preference in music. I don't care what I listen to as long as it's _good_," Jen explained. "I like alternative, rock, and rap, though I _do_ have some guilty pleasures," he told. She chuckled and asked, "Like what? I definitely wanna know."

Nick paused to look around to make sure that no one would overhear and tease him. "Don't tell anyone, but I'm secretly into Aaliyah," he whispered to her. "It's okay. Your secret's safe with me," she smiled before continuing, "Besides, I don't mind her music at all. What's your favorite song by her?"

"_Are You That Somebody_ is one of my favorites. Embarrassing, I know," he blushed in shame. "No, it's okay. In fact, I love that song too," Jen smiled to reassure him that there's no shame in having a guilty pleasure or two. After hearing her comforting words, he smiled and held Jen's hand, which made her squeal out of joy on the inside.

The first thought to cross her mind afterwards was how Nick already trusted her with his small secret. _Her_ secret was that it would be _their _special song to cherish soon.

On the other side of the backyard, Wyatt was drinking orange soda while standing against the fence, since he had nothing better to do than to just relax. After a few sips, he shook his can, realizing there was no more soda left in it. The dreadlocked boy walked over to get another can, but bumped into someone – someone _very_ familiar.

"Marlowe?" he exclaimed in shock before trying to sound calm. "Um… Hey, Marlowe."

"Hi, Wyatt. Long time, no see," the redhead greeted. "I haven't seen you since that whole blog incident a few weeks ago," Wyatt referred to the rumor of them being reunited that was posted on Sydni's blog.

"Yeah," Marlowe adlibbed awkwardly as she rubbed the back of her head at that thought. "So, done anything interesting lately?" he asked the first thing that came to mind. "Not really," she looked at the ground. The moment between them proved to be very uneasy. Though they promised to be friends, they hadn't spoken in a while, which made things become boring and just downright uncomfortable. It was evident that they really weren't so sure _where_ they were in terms of their relationship.

Trying to end the uneasiness, Wyatt swiftly said, "I gotta get another soda. See ya later." "Bye, Wyatt," she called as he left, before hanging her head due to that awkward run-in with her ex.

To lighten the mood and make things interesting, _I Love It _by _Icona Pop_ started to play and which prompted Sydni to do something fairly interesting – turn on the strobe lights. While the guests were distracted, she switched the strobes on, making everyone cheer and move to the patio to dance.

The sun was down, the moon was out, and stars glistened in the night sky. The strobes flashed almost every second and the lanterns strung across the fence were illuminated. More importantly, everyone was letting go of their inhibitions on the dance floor. Hands were in the air, feet were constantly moving, and some couples were grinding on each other. Some were offbeat, others didn't miss a beat, but one thing was for sure – _nobody's _ass was in a seat. Just about everyone was dancing. It was nearly a perfect scene.

_I got this feeling on a summer day when you were gone,  
I crashed my car into a bridge, I watched, I let it burn,  
I threw your shit into a bag and pushed it down the stairs,  
I crashed my car into a bridge,  
I don't care!_

Jonesy actually managed to persuade Nikki to dance with him. It didn't take much effort to do so, either. All he had to do was use his so-called "Garcia charm" on her, and she was powerless to resist him and his words. Either way, he got his wish to come true, which was all that really mattered to him in that moment.

On the contrary, Sydni was dancing solo. Fifteen minutes beforehand, she and Alejandro stopped dancing, which made her slightly sad since she was having such a good time with him. What made up for that, however, was the fact that he promised that he would dance with her again that night and even hang with her sometime soon, possibly hinting at a date.

_You're on a different road,  
I'm in the Milky Way,  
You want me down on earth,  
But I am up in space,  
You're so damn hard to please,  
We gotta kill this switch,  
You're from the '70s,  
But I'm a '90s bitch…_

Wyatt was dancing, though he really wasn't a huge "house-pop" kind of guy. Nevertheless, he was with the rest of the crowd and having a great time. While in the sea of people, he spotted a certain redhead – the same one he awkwardly bumped into earlier.

Marlowe also saw a familiar face – the same handsome and nice guitar player that she used to date. To clear things up, she decided to walk towards and speak to him.

After squeezing her way through a few people, Marlowe was able to make her way to where he was. "Hey… _again_," she smiled at Wyatt. "Hi, Marlowe," he smiled back. Whether they were just friends or not, Wyatt had to admit that he still loved her smile. After all this time, it _still_ made him weak in the knees.

"Sorry about that weird moment earlier," Marlowe apologized. "It's alright. Besides, it's not everyday that you bump into your ex at a party," Wyatt made levity of the situation. Marlowe laughed and said, "You're right." His ex-girlfriend still loved his subtle humor, after all this time.

"How about we dance and make up?" Wyatt suggested. "I'd really like that, Wyatt."

Caitlin and Jen, meanwhile, took a break from hanging with their boyfriends to dance together. However, Jen was dancing offbeat, which made Caitlin mildly embarrassed. "Jen, maybe you should just stick with moving your hips and snapping," the blonde advised. "Oops, sorry," Caitlin blushed in slight embarrassment.

So far, everything that night had gone smooth. Jonesy and Nikki were still happily dancing together; Jen and Caitlin were having a great time, despite Jen's offbeat dancing; Jude was kissing Starr near the fence; Wyatt patched things up with Marlowe and was even grooving with her; and Sydni was still caught up in her thoughts about her enchanting time with Alejandro. Things wouldn't be this calm for long, however. In fact…

As the Icona Pop song faded out, a bittersweet love songfaded in. _Hate That I Love You _by_ Rihanna _and _Ne-Yo_ started to play, with its soft acoustic guitar melody strumming. Sydni froze, as this song in particular started to bring back some rather bad memories, memories that she'd like to forget, especially during her big party.

"_That's how much I love you… That's how much I need you… And I can't stand you,"_ the first line of the song started to play.

_"No, not now,"_ she was fighting in an internal war, _"I can't go back through this right now. I came too far just to end up feeling this way again."_ As Sydni saw plenty of happy couples of dancing, including Jude with Starr and Jonesy with Nikki, she felt like releasing all the emotions that welled up inside of her.

Sydni batted her eyes rapidly in an effort to blink away the incoming tears. Too bad that it didn't work. She was too overwhelmed with emotion, and it would be embarrassing to cry at her party for no reason all – at least no reason to the guests – but to her it was a big reason.

What did Sydni do to escape? _She ran._ She ran straight into her home, heading for her bedroom, as she burst into tears, breaking the gang out of their happy moments.

Nikki and Jonesy separated from their embrace, Jude broke from his ongoing lip-lock with Starr, Caitlin and Jen stopped their conversation, and Wyatt didn't finish his dance with Marlowe. After Wyatt and Jude excused themselves, the gang huddled together, all of them wondering what the issue with Sydni is.

"Oh my gosh!" exclaimed Caitlin, "I hope she's alright… What happened anyways?"

"I honestly have no idea. It's like one minute, she was perfectly fine, and the next second she was a total mess," a puzzled Jen was still trying to figure the situation out.

The gang wasn't the only ones trying to figure it out. In fact, most of the partygoers became slightly concerned when Sydni spent more than one minute in the house by herself.

"Should we go up and ask if she's alright?" asked Wyatt, who got his response when Nikki spoke. "You guys stay down here and calm the guests down. We'll go up and check on Sydni," Nikki directed the guys, referring to the girls going up to check on her in that last part. The guys nodded and did what their purple-haired friend ordered them to.

Sydni sat on top of her bed, softly crying and caught up in her unraveling thread of thoughts while hugging her pillow for security.

"_Damn, I just made a fool out of myself at my own party. I just **had** to think about him and how he hurt me. If I could just have **some** control over my emotions, I'd be able to party and at least pretend that things are okay with me. Why do I have to be such a drama queen sometimes? I feel like I've been too emotional since I've gotten here. After all, **he **was the reason I wanted to move here in the first place. I couldn't bear to look at his face everyday this summer, even though I had to leave my two best friends and family behind."_

Just then, the girls showed up. "Hey," Caitlin softly greeted. Sydni looked up and greeted her in return, sadness cracking through her voice. "Are you okay?" Jen asked as the three sat alongside Sydni on her bed. "Not really," she really didn't feel like lying to them about her current mood, as it was obvious that Sydni wasn't fine like she had planned on telling them.

"Do you mind explaining why you're upset? Because you just pretty much burst in tears out of nowhere," Nikki asked while still trying to be as consoling as possible.

"Call me emotional, but when that song played, the tears just flowed out," Sydni stated. The other girls responded with puzzled looks. She deeply sighed, and started to explain what the deal was.

"That song, _Hate That I Love You_, used to be mine and my ex-boyfriend's song. I used to be so happy when I listened to it, but now all I think about is what both of us lost when it plays," her head hung low, not making eye contact with any of her friends.

"Aw," Caitlin and Jen chorused. "What happened with you and your boyfriend?" Jen asked before quickly adding, "Well, if you want to tell us what happened."

"I might as well tell you three now. Jake and I go _way _back to when we were little kids," Sydni began to explain, "This sounds so cliché, but he was my neighbor and we became best friends. I held nothing back from him and he held nothing back from me. When I was thirteen, I started falling for him, and he fell for me too along the way. He and I decided to take things slow when we were fourteen, but by the time he turned sixteen and I was still fifteen, things got serious. Both of us were crazy about each other.

"But earlier this year, he started acting funny, almost like he had a secret. _He did._ In May, after the senior class graduation, I caught him making out with a bottle blonde bimbo that he had been cheating on me with for _three… whole… months._ I was _beyond_ heartbroken; the one guy I thought I could trust was sneaking off and having sex with some upperclassman bitch. …How could I have been so stupid?" Sydni became choked up during her last question.

After a heavy sigh, she continued. "About a week after that, my mom was offered a promotion up here, but she asked me whether I wanted to move with her or not; it's obvious that I did move here after all, but Jake is the reason that I moved in the first place. I did it so that I wouldn't have to stand seeing his face everyday, not after how he hurt me. So now you three know why I cried and also why I moved here to begin with," Sydni finished, feeling slightly relieved after sharing her story.

The three girls were at a loss for words. Jen was the first to say something after one full minute of silence. "I'm so sorry. No girl should ever have to go through that."

Sydni reached out and said, "Don't be sorry. I was dumb enough to see some of the signs that he was cheating on me, but I just ignored it, thinking that it was all in my head."

"Don't go blaming yourself," Nikki even tried comforting her, "Unfortunately, most teenage guys are stupid, and do stupid-ass things." Caitlin cheerfully added, "But right now in your backyard, there is a hot and _single_ guy just waiting to dance with you again, which you totally should. It's not everyday you find a guy like him just waiting for you."

Sydni was slightly shocked, as she had no idea Caitlin was paying attention to her rendezvous with Alejandro earlier that evening. "How did you know?" she asked, with her eyes wide like cherry pie. "How could I _not_ know? I saw you dancing and flirting with him and it's obvious that you're into him," the blondie mischievously giggled.

"C'mon, we should stop sitting around and go have fun!" Jen got up eagerly. "Let's go!" a happier and confident Sydni followed Jen's lead.

The four teens ran back into the backyard, where the crowd was still waiting, wondering what was up with Sydni. The girls announced that she was okay now and ready to have a good time.

Jonesy asked, "What happened?" as he walked towards his friends with Wyatt and Jude. "Long story," Nikki smirked, "but it's ancient history now."

Shortly after Nikki spoke, Alejandro started to make his way toward Sydni, who was near the gang – well, at least she _was_ until they moved away, giving her and Alejandro some personal time together.

Losing the confidence that she managed to build up, Sydni felt embarrassed at the thought that Alejandro saw her cry in front of everyone. "I take it that you saw me break down out of nowhere and think I'm some total loser who's super sensitive," she sighed, assuming the worst.

"Actually, I came to ask if you're alright," he said in a caring tone, no hints of insincerity whatsoever. Hearing his voice calmed her bouncing nerves, and instead sent her into a state of happiness yet again. "Really?" her heart started beating rapidly, not out of fear, but out of pure giddiness – the type of giddiness you feel when you develop a crush on someone.

"Really," he confirmed. "Well, I'm doing fine now that _you're_ here," she sultrily teased. He smiled at her attempt to flirt with him and asked the words she was longing to hear. "Are you up to dance again?"

"Yeah!" she shouted a little too eagerly, until she calmly replied, "Yeah… I'd really like that," not trying to sound desperate.

Perhaps this was all for the better. Maybe, just maybe, her ex-boyfriend's affair was a _good_ thing in a mysterious way, because it would never have led her to move up North. If she hadn't have moved up North, then she wouldn't have gone to that party where she met the gang, been inside the mall, or even danced with Alejandro that night. Sure, she had to leave her best friends, family, among other things behind, but life would be dull without that change. In that moment, Sydni realized that things do happen for a reason, though it took some time for her to find that specific reason.

Back in reality, however, Alejandro mentioned, "So you still never told me what made you upset."

"It's a long story. I'm sure you don't want to hear it," Sydni dismissed the topic.

"I don't mind hearing it. I wouldn't mind at all," the handsome guy assured, with his voice soothing to her ears.

"_Oh yeah, this is __**definitely**__ for the better,"_ Sydni thought as she smiled.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Five Seconds

Narrator's POV

The day after the party, the gang met at the game store to talk about the highlights of it. "It was so fun dancing with Alejandro last night. He's such a charmer," Sydni blushed at the very thought of him. "Does this mean that you might go on a date with him soon?" Jen wondered.

"Definitely, but I don't want to rush things just yet. I want to wait a bit before I jump back into a relationship again," Sydni explained. "I understand what you mean," Jen agreed, because after all, she did take a break from guys when Travis broke up with her.

"But you know what the best part is?" asked Sydni. The gang, more specifically, the girls, asked, "What?"

"When I told him all about my ex-boyfriend drama, he said that he understands and he would wait until I'm ready to go on a date with him," she couldn't help but feel ecstatic. "Aw, that's so sweet," Caitlin squealed. "I gotta admit, that's pretty special," Nikki even said.

Just then, Brooke interrupted as she stopped into the game shop. "Hey, guys," the brunette with bangs greeted. "I just stopped by to say that I had fun at the party last night. I even met a really cute boy there," giggled Brooke.

"I'm glad you liked it," Sydni smiled. "It was really cool, though you didn't mention that it was $5 for admission on the flyer," she mentioned.

"I never charged admission to the party," Sydni raised her eyebrow, having a feeling that she knew who _did_ charge admission, looking at Jonesy. Nikki gave her boyfriend a stern look and asked, "Jonesy, _you_ wouldn't have anything to do with this, would you?"

"N-no," Jonesy stammered, but he knew that he had been caught in a lie. The gang, plus Brooke, gathered around him and exchanged somewhat disgusted remarks.

"Not cool, dude," Jude sneered.

"Unbelievable," Jen reacted.

"I want my five dollars back, Jonesy!" Brooke protested.

Wyatt tsked at him and shook his head, while Caitlin groaned. "Typical Jonesy."

"Nice one," Nikki said in a sarcastic tone of voice as she rolled her eyes.

Sydni, however, was pissed. "You're just gonna scam people at my _free_ party behind my back and then try to lie about it? If you think you're getting off easy, think again," she scolded.

"Uh oh," was all Jonesy managed to say as he was frozen in fear. He had never seen her get this angry before. Sure, he's dealt with Nikki's rage, but Sydni, who's usually fairly nice, scared the living daylights out of him.

"You've got five seconds. Run, bitch," she cursed at him. He bolted out of the store as she started to chase after him.

"_GET BACK HERE, JONESY!"_ could be heard all throughout the mall.

The gang laughed at the sight and Nikki sighed, "When will he ever learn?"


End file.
